'Et a votre gauche, le Sunken Garden'

French Admissions TourSam Fansler '13 gives a tour of the William & Mary campus in French to a group of middle school students from Sainte Jeanna d’Arc Catholic School in Southern France. It was the first time she – or any student guide – has completed a tour in a foreign language.
Photos by Stephen Salpukas

French Admissions TourFanlser (right) takes the students to the Tyler Garden where they were surprised to experience the echo wall. The favorite phrase of the day: J’aime Williamsburg – or, “I love Williamsburg.”

French Admissions TourStudents take pictures of the statue of John Tyler (1747 - 1813). During Wednesday's tour the visitors stopped at the Wren Building, Blair Hall, Tyler Garden, the Sadler Center, the Crim Dell and Swem Library.

Sam
Fansler ’13 walks backwards along the cobblestone brick pathway that stretches
behind the Wren Building and turns to parallel the deep cavity on campus known
as the Sunken Garden.

As
a tour guide for the admissions office, student worker since her freshman year,
and now an intern, Fansler has practiced these steps and recited gobs of information
about William & Mary hundreds of times to countless faces.

She
doesn’t miss a beat, though she is keenly aware of the cracks along the way.

Wednesday’s
tour around the brightly foliaged campus on a crisp fall day was unlike any
other Fansler has given. It was the
first time she – or any student guide – has completed a tour in a foreign
language.

Forty-eight
middle school students from Sainte Jeanna d’Arc Catholic School in Southern
France stood on the sidewalk along Jamestown Road awaiting Fansler. Like her
students, teacher Martha Gomot was excited to meet Fansler.

Student
tour guides, such as Fansler, are the College’s primary ambassadors to the
public. They serve more than 25,000 visitors each year who come to explore the
campus. Local company Illuminations Cultural Experience facilitates student groups
like Sainte Jeanne d’Arc to bring schools from Europe to Williamsburg.

“I
wanted these students to come to America so that they can see how American
universities differ from those in France, said Gomot.

The
French education system if very different – high school teachers place students
in one of three tracks based on their academic achievement: science/math,
economics or literature. Most students
who attend college don’t live on campus – they just go to school.”

“There’s
a real social element missing, which is sad,” Gomot said.

Fansler,
who is fluent in French, was excited to share a language with others in which
she endears so much. She began French immersion school in kindergarten
and went all the way up to eighth grade before transferring to an American high
school in Chicago. While in high school she earned her French baccalaureate
degree. Two summers ago she studied abroad in Montpellier, South France, and immersed
herself in a culture whose language she has mastered.

Fansler says not only was the language
for this tour different, so too was her approach.

“I
want to make it fun for them and show the students that William & Mary is
fun,” she said. “That you can go to a
university and do other things outside of class.”

The
first destination on their journey was a stop at the iconic Wren Building. The group huddled in a half moon pattern beneath
the white steps as Fansler explained how the structure is the oldest building
on campus. Thomas Jefferson once took classes inside, she tells them.

“Remember
the statue we saw earlier today?” Gomot questions her pupils. “That is the
man -- Thomas Jefferson.” Her students perk up and echo “Thomas
Jefferson.”

Gustaf,
12, was one of two students from the group who speaks English. He was taken aback
by the aesthetic beauty and colonial architecture on campus.

“It’s
very pretty,” he said. “I would love to go to William & Mary. I think it’s one of the most ancient
universities.”

The
second stop was outside Blair Hall, which now houses the president’s office,
explained Fansler. Classes are taught in these buildings, she pointed out, such
as history and philosophy, two of many academic majors the College offers.

In
the Tyler Garden, the students were wary of the surprise echo spot Fansler showed
them. At first, they didn’t believe it could be true. But then a boy stepped up and said “Bonjour.”

His
face was overcome with astonishment as he turned to his peers. Students rushed to the spot and Gomot
instinctively intervened to let each student take a turn, one at a time.

After
experiencing the echo wall and hearing how students play campus golf in their
leisure time, the students began to warm up to Fansler.

They
pingged her with questions: how do I get
into William & Mary? How much does
it cost? What does my moyenne score need to be? Under the French higher education
system, students are admitted to certain schools based on their moyenne score.

Fansler,
21, patiently explained how American universities are different. In France, anyone with a high school
baccalaureate degree can go to a university for free, but not so in America,
she said.

“Entrance
into William & Mary is based on all sorts of factors outside of your
academic history,” she informed the visitors. “It also costs thousands of dollars to attend
a university.”

One
student asked Fansler if smoking is allowed on campus. Others wanted to know what activities she
participates in outside of class.

Inside
the Sadler Center, Fansler showed the group where concerts take place at Lodge
1 and the common dining hall on the third floor. She stopped in front of the Crim Dell and
told the tale of walking across the bridge either with – or without someone –
and what that means for your future. On
the first floor in the Swem Library, students walked through the stacks as
Fansler explained how the media center is used to create videos and CDs. She quietly enlightened the middle schoolers
on the different noise levels in the library as W&M students looked up from
their textbooks and laptops.

Fansler ended the tour at the Wren
Building, standing in front of the Lord Botetourt statue. After walking backwards for over an hour and
simultaneously speaking French, she said she’s thankful for the opportunity.

“I think it’s so cool that I can use my
French for a practical purpose. I’m a
European Studies major, so this is my dream; I love it.”